The invention relates to a material, obtained by heat treatment, which has the property of binding and retaining substances dissolved in wastewater.
| Patent title | Method for manufacturing a composite material for the recovery of nutrients and removal of pollutants from wastewater, composite material and ist use |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Bioeconomy, Agriculture and Environment |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA |
| Inventors | Antonio Primante, Nicolas Greggio, Carlotta Carlini |
| Protection | Italy, with the possibility to extend internationally |
| Licensing status | Available for development agreements, option, license and other exploitation agreements |
| Keywords | Water purification, nutrient recovery, pollutant removal, biochar, calcination, CO2 |
| Filed on | 31 May 2021 |
Nowadays, many researches are focused on developing new procedures for the recovery of nutrients and the removal of pollutants from waste water, with a low environmental impact.
Currently, in many wastewater treatment plants, nutrients end up in activated sludge or sludge resulting from chemical / physical processes, without being effectively recovered.
Many pollutants also end up in biological and chemical-physical sludge or are removed with specific, costly and impacting technologies.
The invention is referred to the process for obtaining a composite that has the property of binding and retaining substances dissolved in wastewater, such as phosphorus, thus allowing the recovery of nutrients useful to generate organo-mineral fertilizers.
The composite is made by mixing, in appropriate proportions, char obtained from biomass or sewage sludge, and carbonate materials from quarries or biogenic, and subjecting the mixture to pyrolysis.
During the fabrication of the composite, CO2 is also produced: after the removal of phosphorus by precipitation, CO2 can be used to lower the pH of the water treated with the composite.
The main application is in the wastewater purification sector.
The main advantages are:
- Nutrient recovery from liquid fraction sludge dewatering
- Valorization of the sewage sludge
- Production of nutrient-rich material
- Greater effectiveness in removing phosphorus.
- Quick and effective removal of pollutants.